Hydrocarbons are typically produced from the ground in the form of an emulsion of various fractions of oil, water and gases. Typically it is desirable to perform some initial treatment of the produced fluids to remove the bulk of the water and gas content prior to delivery to a treatment plant. The produced fluids can be initially treated at the production site, or alternatively transferred to an intermediate site for initial treatment to remove the bulk of the water and gas content.
Initial treatment of light and heavy oil is conventionally accomplished using a pressurized treatment vessel. Examples of pressurized treatment vessels are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,510 by Berry and U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,145 by Eddy. Although effective, such pressure vessels require boiler certification, PSV's, pop tanks, costly turnarounds for setup and maintenance, and inspections to be performed.